Celebrating its 25th anniversary, and billed as the world’s largest mining investment conference, and the largest mining event in Africa, the Mining Indaba is “a great platform to market our company and people,” MICROMINE Africa Marketing Coordinator Craig Sternslow comments.

“Mining Indaba has always been a place where we can show the industry what our solutions are capable of, as well as showcasing new releases, upgrades, and general networking with like-minded people in the industry. It is good to catch up with our clients, as well as provide demonstrations to organisations looking at mining solutions to streamline processes, increase productivity and efficiency,” Sternslow highlights.

“The world is becoming a more digitally-minded space, with an emphasis on safety, longevity, efficiency, and higher profitability being the main drivers of a digital world. This is starting to apply more to the mining industry, especially as mines become more technology-driven. It is becoming imperative that mines adopt technology to increase efficiencies and safety.”

In terms of the outlook for the mining industry in 2019, Sternslow points out commodity prices have seen a positive trend, and the outlook seemingly is on the up into the New Year. Although the main focus has been on gold, base metal assets have also rebounded. Many drilling programmes subsequently resumed or were relaunched throughout the year.

In addition, there has been an increase in exploration activity for certain minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, due to the global interest in cleaner technologies and a push towards a low-carbon economy. West Africa is anticipated to reap the most benefit from this rise in exploration, due to high-grade lithium discoveries as seen in Ghana.

However, exploration in other regions has seen a sharp decline, due to certain regulatory and legislative changes that have resulted in a sharp drop in investor confidence, reducing the funding available for exploration.

Notes to the EditorTo download hi-res images for this release, please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the MICROMINE link to view the company’s press office.

About MICROMINEMICROMINE is a leading provider of innovative software solutions that span the breadth of the mining cycle, from geological exploration and data management to resource estimation, mine design, planning and production control. Customers use MICROMINE software to maximise their asset value, increase productivity, and to make reliable decisions. Our software is renowned for its ease-of-use, together with its powerful capabilities. All products are available in numerous languages and are supported by local experts. Founded 30 years’ ago, MICROMINE solutions are used at more than 2 000 sites in over 90 countries.